Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

The first of two Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Exposure Camps to be held this month at Viterbo University in La Crosse ended on Tuesday.

Players at the WBY Camp were divided into eight different teams. Following are the MVPs as selected by the camp coaches for each of the eight teams at camp:

Jimmy Ancius, 6-6, PF/C, Sr., La Crosse Aquinas
An ever-improving post player who used his physical size and quick moves to keep defenders off balance in the lane … Also showed the ability to make some mid-range jump shots … Has made tremendous overall strides in his game over the past two seasons and figures to be a key player for an Aquinas squad many expect to challenge Onalaska for the title in the Mississippi Valley Conference in 2010-11 … Earned honorable mention all-league honors as a junior.

Steven Egan, 6-5, WF/PF, Sr., Omro
One of the most pleasant surprises of the entire camp … Used size and length to post-up smaller defenders or stepped outside and made perimeter shots against bigger defenders … Relentless on the glass on both ends of the court … Figures to add weight and perhaps grown another inch or two over the next six months, making him an even tougher matchup for opponents … Earned second-team all-league honors in the Eastern Valley Conference as a junior.

Ethan Grimsled, 6-5, C, Jr., Seneca
A physical post presence who can score around the basket and off of aggressive drives to the hoop … Overall skill package is still developing, but his size and strength are already definite assets … Competed with a purpose on both ends of the court for the majority of the camp … Unanimous first-team all-league pick in the Ridge & Valley Conference as a sophomore.

Dylan Heemstra, 6-4, WF, Jr., Neenah
Smooth, athletic and skilled wing forward who played major minutes as a sophomore for a Neenah program that went 17-10 and qualified for the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament … Can make mid-range and three-point shots while also getting to the foul line and crashing the boards … Quick jumper in the lane, which allows him to get to offensive rebounds before opponents … Averaged 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest as a sophomore at Neenah for coach Chas Pronschinske.

Carrington Love, 5-11, PG, Jr., Milwaukee Pius XI
Was exceptional all three days of the camp … Used hesitation dribble and extreme quickness to continually get past and around defenders … Finished in the lane or found teammates with outstanding passes … Made perimeter jump shots while also using length and anticipation to excel on defense … Honorable mention all-league pick in the Classic Eight Conference as a sophomore … Led his team to the championship in the camp playoffs … Could definitely emerge as a NCAA Division I prospect with added strength and physical growth.

Chase Luebker, 5-11, PG, Jr., Plum City
Pound-for-pound, one of the best rebounders in the state … Uses quickness, physical strength and outstanding jumping ability to snare rebounds away from bigger opponents … Can run a team at point guard or move to off-guard and attack the basket from the wing … Can knock down perimeter shots, but is at his best probing a defense and getting to the basket … Plays with big-time passion and determination … Second-team all-league selection in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference as a sophomore.

Dylan Rusch, 6-2, PG/WG, Sr., Kettle Moraine Lutheran
A team leader who simply made big play after big play throughout the three days of camp … Can score in a variety of ways while also affecting a game on the other end of the court with his length, anticipation and willingness to get down and dirty for 32 minutes … Made three-point shots, got the foul line and posted up in the lane while also playing unselfish, team basketball … Earned first-team all-league honors in the Wisconsin Flyway Conference as a junior.

Brandon Waldschmidt, 6-4, WF, Sr., Laconia
Competed with a passion throughout the three days of camp … Finished through contact on the break, made face-up jump shots and was able to score in the lane thanks to his physical presence and determination … Can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket as well as post-up in the lane … Honorable mention all-league choice in the Wisconsin Flyway Conference as a junior.

*****

Additional players from camp who consistently played well and caught the attention of college coaches in attendance:

Kalvin Baena, 5-10, PG, Jr., Fox Valley Lutheran
Alex Barenklau, 5-10, PG, Soph., Monroe
Andrew Borresen, 6-2, WG, Sr., Living Word Lutheran
Brandon Do-McKenzie, 5-10, PG, Jr., Wrightstown
Jake Donovan, 5-10, PG, Sr., Hillsboro
Tyler Forsythe, 6-5, WG, Sr., Northwestern
Alex Hammond, 6-7, F, Jr., Laconia
Abraham Kielar, 6-3, WF, Sr., Southern Door
Konor Kulas, 6-3, WF, Jr., Kimberly
Joey Leibl, 5-10, PG, Sr., Onalaska Luther
Sam Mattheis, 5-11, PG, Sr., Laconia
Jason Miller, 6-4, WG, Jr., Kaukauna
Brent Myers, 6-1, WG, Sr., Grantsburg
Jordan Nelson, 6-5, PF, Sr., Neenah
Ross Oldenburg, 6-4, WF, Sr., Clinton
Brandon Tyler, 6-4, WG, Jr., Omro
Nathan Van Handel, 6-7, C, Sr., Appleton North
Greg Von Ruden, 5-10, PG, Sr., Black River Falls
Tim Wagner, 6-0, PF, Soph., Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau
Johnny Wiederholt, 6-7, PF, Sr., Riverdale
Caleb Wolf, 6-3, WG, Sr., Kettle Moraine Lutheran

*****

Austin Livingston of Kimberly, Konor Kulas of Kimberly, Jason Miller of Kaukauna and Brandon Waldschmidt of Laconia defeated the team of Brandon Do-McKenzie of Wrightstown, Kalvin Baena of Fox Valley Lutheran, Alex Hammond of Laconia and Jonathan Willman of Fox Valley Lutheran in the three-on-three championship game.

*****

The Cavaliers won the team-tournament title and finished with just one loss over the three days. Team members included Tyler Ihrcke of Westby, Carrington Love of Milwaukee Pius XI, Jordan Nelson of Neenah, Ross Oldenburg of Clinton, Ian Taylor of Portage, Tim Wagner of Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau and Johnny Wiederholt of Riverdale. The team was coached by Craig Kowal, the head coach at Onalaska High School.

*****

Colleges represented at the camp included:

Iowa

Ashford College
Coe College
Waldorf College

Minnesota

Carleton College
St. Mary’s University

Wisconsin

Beloit College
Cardinal Stritch University
Carroll University
Edgewood College
Marian College
St. Norbert College
UW-Baraboo
UW-Eau Claire
UW-La Crosse
UW-Oshkosh
UW-River Falls
UW-Stevens Point
UW-Stout
Viterbo University
Western Technical College

*****

Special thank you to Viterbo University coach Wayne Wagner, Jefferson High School coach Jay Benesh, Viterbo sports information director Eric Kunick, Viterbo assistant coaches Ryan Thibodeau and Ken Barrett and all the coaches and counselors who worked the WBY Camp. And a special thank you to the players and their families for participating in the camp.

The second WBY Camp of the summer is set for June 20-22 at Viterbo with 120 participants registered.